Those who know the files he stole think he was working for a foreign power, perhaps Russia, where he now lives.

Edward Snowden‘s massive misappropriations of classified documents from the inner sanctum of U.S. intelligence is mainly presented by the media as a whistleblowing story.

In this narrative—designed by Mr. Snowden himself—he is portrayed as a disgruntled contractor for the National Security Agency, acting alone, who heroically exposed the evils of government surveillance beginning in 2013.

The other way of looking at it—based on the number and nature of documents Mr. Snowden took, and the dates when they were taken—is that...(read more)

No, Snowden’s heist was not a foreign operation. He made a personal sacrifice because of things that have profound implications for everyone. It’s kind of sad that that kind of integrity is so alien to us, that many tend to distrust it and are constantly looking for another explanation.